An Organized Wonderland?
by Cirque du Lune
Summary: "Unfortunately for you, Roxas," he said with his Cheshire grin, "this place can be anything but normal."
1. Bunny With A Beard?

Cirque: Hiya! I know I should be working on 'Foolish' but the idea wouldn't leave me alone until I typed it up and posted it. (besides, I'm still stuck in a writer's block for 'Foolish')

Lune: I can't believe you finished Final Mix+ before I did. . .

Cirque: Yeah, and that was months ago! :D

Lune: Phooey… You have the unfair advantage of being able to read and understand Japanese…

Cirque: Nothing I can do about that can I? :P

Title: An Organized Wonderland?

Summary: Virtually Impossible. Besides, a Wonderland like that wouldn't be very interesting, would it? "Roxas! Why the heck are you wearing a dress? You better watch out for Cheshire Cats then." "What the heck is a Cheshire Cat?"

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own anything. 'Cept this laptop that refuses to connect with the internet…

Dedicated to my few yet lovely reviewers. Especially dedicated to terra hotaru and her awesomeness (You are awesome and don't you deny it!).

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Chapter One: Bunny With A Beard?

It's just an ordinary day, in an ordinary world, in an ordinary house, where there lived an ordinary family, with an ordinary life.

That family was composed of ordinary parents, and an ordinary set of twins.

And one of those twins' names was Roxas.

That ordinary day happened to be a Saturday. And Roxas was currently lying down on the grass, with a book currently resting itself on his face.

"Roxas!"

Roxas awoke with a start and looked around, and spotted a spiky, brown haired boy that happened to be his brother.

"What is it Sora?"

"Why the heck are you sleeping when you should be studying for the test on Monday?! That test is a big portion of your grade for the semester!"

"But it's still Saturday…" complained Roxas.

"You don't want to cram tomorrow don't you?" asked Sora.

"Guess not…"

"I'll go get your books." said Sora, then he went back inside the house.

Roxas, in fact, did not care about his grades, but he cared too much for his brother to disappoint him. As he was about get up, something suddenly jumped on his stomach.

"Ow!" He turned his head to see… a bunny with a waistcoat? And was that a beard?

"I'm late! I'm late! I'm late!" exclaimed the bunny, as it hopped towards… wherever it was going.

Roxas, being the curious person he was, followed that bunny.

'_Hey, when did the backyard become so big? And, is that a forest he's going to? Since when did we have a forest in our backyard?'_

"Hey, where'd that bunny go?" Roxas asked himself, as he had somehow winded up in the middle of a forest that _somehow_ was in their backyard.

Roxas, not looking where he was going, stepped into a hole.

"Aaaahhh! Oh…"

The hole was deep, and he was somehow slowly floating towards the ground.

There were… levitating household objects, a fireplace in mid-air, a rocking chair, a gigantic floating mirror… Roxas was so fascinated with the objects that he didn't notice that he was suddenly dropped onto the floor.

"Ouch, now my butt hurts…"

Roxas looked down, then suddenly, his eyes widened with horror…

"WHY THE FRICKIN HECK AM I WEARING A FRILLY FRICKIN DRESS?!?!?"

After a while, Roxas calmed down and took a look at his surroundings.

"What kind of a cuckoo place is this?"

~- MadHatterMadHatterMadHatterMadHatterDoYouLikeTea?ILikeTeaGoDrinkTeaMadHatterMadHatterMadHatter -~

Roxas walked towards the nearest and only door he could see and opened it. But behind it was another door, and another, and another…

When he finally reached the last door, it was just big enough for him to crawl through, and so he did.

At the other side of the door(s) was a bare room. And then he saw a very, very small door at the other end of the room.

"How the heck am I supposed to go through there?"

"Try the bottle over there."

A table appeared out of nowhere, and on top of it was a tiny bottle that said 'Drink Me'.

Roxas, without thinking twice, took a sip from the bottle.

And then he shrank.

Now he was big enough to go through the door.

"Wait a minute, where did that voice come from anyway?"

"Ahem, I'm right in front of you." said the voice.

"Where?" asked Roxas.

"I'M THE FRICKIN DOOR!"

"Oh, hi, can you let me pass now? I'm following this weird bunny wearing a-"

"I'm locked." said the door.

"What?"

"I'm locked. Don't you have the key?" it asked.

"Key? What key?"

"Don't tell me you left it up there…"

Roxas looked up, and sure enough a key suddenly appeared.

He proceeded to mumble something about stupid bunnies, stupid doors, and other stupid stuff, whilst trying to climb the now ridiculously high table… and failing miserably.

"Here, eat one of these." said the door, and a box of what _looked_ like cookies that said 'Eat Me' appeared in front of him.

Roxas hesitantly took a bite this time, and now, he could hardly fit in the room.

He blew the hair out of his face and sighed.

_'Looks like I'll be here a while… in this dress.'_

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Cirque: Guess which organization member the bunneh was? XD Who the Cheshire Cat is is very obvious, but my favorite in here is the Mad Hatter. Guess who he is. 8D (This chapter is quite short, but then again, all Prologues are…) Sorry for any grammatical/spelling errors, I'll try to fix them as soon as I can.

Lune: Review please. Really. Or else she shall discontinue and abandon this story.

Next Chapter: Is This A Key Or A Sword?


	2. Happy Akuroku Day Everyone!

Cirque: Wai hallo thar! I know, I know, you were expecting another chapter, and NO, I am NOT putting this on hiatus. HOW COULD YOU THINK SUCH A THING?! Anyway, I really wanted to post Chapter 2 on AkuRoku day, but I don't think I can reach the time limit of 24 hours. So, I wanted to wish everyone as early(?) as now, a HAPPY, HAPPY AKUROKU DAY! ^_^ Don't worry, expect the next chapter next week. I managed to type a lot in between my breaks from writing my three page essay, so don't panic. It'll be up by the end of next week, I promise.

Once again, HAPPY HAPPY AKUROKU DAY!

Especially all my readers, whoever they may be, and my wonderful, WONDERFUL reviewers. Oh, and the lovely, lovely, terra hotaru.


	3. Is This A Key Or A Sword?

Cirque: Um, hehe…hi. –dodges bricks– Anyhow, I'm back, after like, a century. xD

Lune: So yeah, please put down your pitchforks and torches…

Cirque: Sorry for the wait, terra... Now, onward!

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own anything in this fic at all…almost. xD I DON'T OWN THE DOOR'S BANK ACCOUNT NUMBER EITHER. Cookies to anyone who guesses where it's from :D I don't think anyone will guess though…

FILLER CHAPTER OH YAH. Sort of . . . the first part is. Will update with a real chapter next week. No, really. It's already typed down. xD

Should I bump up the rating? :|

* * *

Chapter 2: Is This A Key Or A Sword?

Roxas was going mad. He was able to get the key (which was about the size of his index finger now…) but…

He had been listening to the door talk for what seemed like hours about…almost everything.

His neck had started to hurt too, because he had been cramped in the room while being in his enormous size.

Suddenly, a miracle!

The Door stopped talking. ('_Doors weren't even supposed to talk in the first place.'_ Roxas said to himself.)

"You know," said the Door, "you don't look very comfortable in that size, you've got the key, why don't you return to your normal size?"

'_It's actually concerned, huh.'_

"Well, you could pay better attention to me if you were more comfortable and such…"

Roxas let out an angry sigh.

It started rambling again.

"…but I could also tell you my bank account number code, which is exclamation mark, the color green, two, five, eight, seven, six, two, two…"

Roxas' eye was twitching. He could take no more.

"…and you really can't do much when you're a door stuck on a wall. We really don't get visitors much here…"

He snapped.

"ALRIGHT YOU FUCKING DOOR, JUST TELL ME HOW TO GET SMALLER AND SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

"Uh…"

It seemed speechless for a few moments.

Roxas' eye was still twitching.

"Uh…the potion," The Door gulped "Just drink it again."

'_Idiot. . .' _It said under it's breath, but Roxas heard him. He justglared at it and took the bottle.

Luckily there was still some of it left from the first time he drank some.

He began to shrink, back to his miniscule size.

Back to being ten inches tall, the key he took was now about the size of a sword.

"Happy now?" asked the Door.

"Not really, but whatever." replied Roxas.

He stood in front of the Door as it opened it mouth to reveal a keyhole. Roxas raised the key he was holding and got ready to insert it when a white beam of light radiated from the tip of the key, into the keyhole. He then heard a clicking sound that indicated the door being now unlocked.

"Whoa! What the heck was that?"

"Whatever it was, it unlocked me. So, whatever." said the Door. He swung himself open, revealing a beautiful garden on the other side.

Roxas dusted off his –ahem- dress, took the key with him and started toward the garden.

As he dropped the key and started to leave, the Door shouted after him, "Oi! You might get killed out there! Keep the key."

"Key?" he asked looking at it. "Why?"

"Just take it," the Door said. "You'll be glad you did."

Roxas, not wanting to question logic anymore in the pace he was in, picked the key up and continued on.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Roxas waved back at the Door, not bothering to look back.

* * *

After a few minutes worth of walking through the garden (which started to look more like a forest now, by the way), he came across a house. It was weird-looking, and it looked like it came from the 1800's or something…

Then, out of the corner of his eye, Roxas spotted something, a man with…rabbit ears?

Realization dawned on him as he saw the waistcoat he was wearing.

'_The rabbit!'_

He hid behind a tree, as he observed the man, who seemed to be looking for something…

"Where the hell could I have dropped them! Bloody bastard queen's (1) gonna take my head off for being late!" he exclaimed. But as soon as he realized what he had said, he clamped his hand over his mouth, and looked around to see if anyone was there, as if he had committed a crime.

Roxas' curiosity got the better of him, and he went closer.

However, he tripped on a tree root that was sticking out of the ground and his key dropped with a resounding –

_CLANG!_

Roxas bit his lip as he looked up to see the bunny-man looking at him with shock

"Mary Ann! What the bloody hell are you doing here? You'll get killed!" he said to Roxas.

Roxas looked around, saw no one, and then pointed at himself with a questioning look that asked _'Who, me?'_

"Yes, you Mary Ann!" he said, then looked around warily. "Hurry, go inside the house and fetch me a pair of gloves and a fan!"

Not wanting to cause any more trouble (as if there was any in the first place), he went towards the house, dragging his key along. On the door he saw a shiny brass plate that read "LUXORD R."

"Luxord, huh…funny name…." Roxas said to himself. He continued on inside and saw a pair of gloves and a fan sitting on top of a drawer, and so went back outside to bunny-man…er, Luxord.

After taking the gloves and fan, Luxord began to scold him, for some reason

"You really shouldn't be outside of the house, Mary Ann! It's very dangerous in Tulgey Wood, you know that! You can't go out without a weapon."

'_So I am in the woods…'_

"Wait! Is that what I think it is?" exclaimed Luxord, looking at the key Roxas was holding.

Roxas jut gave him a puzzled look.

"What? This?" he asked, holding up the key.

Luxord's eyes just got wider, and then –

"Holy crap! I'm going to be late!" he said, slapping his forehead, and ran off.

"Wait!" shouted Roxas, but it was too late. Luxord had already vanished through the thick layer of trees and bushes.

Roxas just sighed, and continued on walking towards the general direction Luxord went.

* * *

The garden was indeed beautiful, but Roxas couldn't help feeling uneasy as the flowers seemed to get larger and larger the deeper he went into the garden.

As he went deeper and deeper into the garden, he started hearing voices, but he knew they were not just in his head, they were loud and clear. He was surrounded by them.

'_He's here! He's here!'_

'_He has it! Look!'_

'_Alice...'_

'_...-eyblade!"_

Roxas looked around in panic, and was, to plainly put it, creeped out, as he realized that the voices came from the flowers.

'_Get out of here! He'll-'_

'_Save Wonderland…'_

'…_-lice…save…'_

'_Kill…you …'_

'_SAVE US!'_

His head was starting to hurt.

"What are you saying?" asked Roxas clutching his head.

'_KILL HIM!'_

'…_died…because...Queen…'_

'_His fault. . .'_

He closed his eyes covered his ears and started to run away as fast as he could, though he could not see where he was going.

'_No! He'll catch you!'_

'_Don't go there!'_

When Roxas opened his eyes, he was in front of a gigantic rose bud. He was mesmerized, he couldn't take his eyes off of it. Minutes (or hours, he couldn't tell.) later, the rose slowly began to unravel itself.

Though he didn't want to admit it, he was scared. He didn't know why though.

_Is it… the flower?_

He wanted to move, to get out of the garden, but he couldn't. It was as if he was in a trance. Thorny vines began wrapping themselves around him, he wanted to scream, but he couldn't. He was lifted into air, in front of the slowly unraveling petals, and in the middle, he could see a man (or was it a woman?) with. . .pink hair?

He gripped the key tightly.

"Ha-aaa-huu-um. . ." the man yawned. "You've woken me up from my beauty sleep, annoying pest!" he said, sounding annoyed. "No one wakes up the great Marluxia from his beauty sleep!"

He then raised an eyebrow at Roxas' dress, glanced at the key he was holding, then sneered.

"So, another one, huh?"

Roxas, finding that he could move again, gripped the key tighter and glared at 'Marluxia'. The thorns of the vines pressed against his skin, drawing blood.

"Augh!" Roxas screamed in pain.

'_Don't hurt Alice!'_

'_No!'_

'_Let Alice go!'_

"Shut up, insolent Flowers!" he glared at them. He then faced Roxas, threw his hand out, and sneered. Vines shot out from behind him, directly toward Roxas.

His eyes widened, then struggled against the vines holding him, but it was useless. Struggling only injured him more. He closed his eyes, bracing himself for the stabbing pain, but to his surprise, none came.

He opened his eyes to see that the vines burst into flames and turned into ash.

"What?" exclaimed Marluxia, only getting angrier. "Who did that?"

The vines holding Roxas also burst into flames, but surprisingly, it didn't burn him. He dropped onto the ground, grabbed his key, then looked around for who was responsible.

He saw shining teeth in the trees.

_A smile. _

It then disappeared in a flash.

He was still in shock, and was brought back to reality when a vine shot out from above, from Marluxia, and scratched his arm.

"Don't forget about me, brat!"

Roxas, knowing that the odds were against him, decided to retreat instead.

"I'll deal with you later!" he shouted back at Marluxia, as ran into the forest, away from the garden.

This only angered Marluxia more. "Why, you little- !

* * *

Vines were chasing Roxas as he ran through the forest. He was running out of breath, and he was still bleeding. The also woods began to get thicker and thicker. It getting rather hard to see as well, because fog had started to appear. It was weird, because the fog was _blue_. It also smelled weird.

There seemed to be less and less vines that chased him, the foggier it became.

_Maybe…just maybe…_

"Gah!"

Roxas fell on the cold forest floor. A vine was tangled onto his leg, trying to drag him back to the garden where Marluxia was.

He quickly cut it off with his key (which also seemed to function as a sword), got back up, and ran faster.

He approached a clearing, and from what he could see, there was a giant mushroom in the middle. It seemed that it was where the blue fog was coming from.

_Just a little more…_

He tumbled into the clearing.

_Yes!_

He looked around. No more vines where chasing him, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

He stretched himself up on tiptoe, and peered over the edge of the mushroom, and his eyes met those of a man, a strange, many-armed man that had antennae on his head. (Yes, he was shocked, but he learned that this place wasn't normal, quite some time ago…) He was sitting on the top with its arms folded, quietly smoking a long hookah. Roxas then knew that it was what was causing the 'fog'.

"Who are you?" it asked.

"Who are _you_?" asked Roxas.

"I believe I asked you first, little gir- boy," he said crossly, looking at his dress. "But it doesn't matter. My name is Vexen."

"I'm Roxas."

"By the way, what's with that thing your smoking?"

"It's a hookah, idiot."

"But what's in it?"

"Lots of things."

"But- ah, never mind." Roxas gave up on asking him about the hookah, but he was happy all the same that it helped him with the vines.

Vexen's eyes widened, much like Luxord's did, as he noticed what Roxas was holding.

"I see… you have it," said Vexen, looking at the key.

"Oh, this?" asked Roxas, holding the key up.

"But first, I can see you're in pretty bad shape," said Vexen, noting Roxas' bleeding cuts.

He inhaled deeply from his hookah, and exhaled on Roxas.

Roxas coughed. "Hey, what was that for!"

"Before you start complaining, brat, take a look at your cuts first!" he said angrily.

Roxas then noticed that his cuts, though not completely healed yet, have stopped bleeding.

"Oh, thanks then…"

"Yes, yes, you're welcome…" he trailed off, and then completely ignored Roxas, mumbling to himself.

"…another Alice, finally…"

Roxas crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently.

"Oi, OI!" shouted Roxas.

"Hmm?" it said, somewhat sleepily. "You're still here?"

"YES I AM!" he retorted angrily, then calmed himself down. "Anyway, I have to find my way out of this place…"

"_Your _way?" laughed Vexen. "The Queen will surely behead you if he heard that."

"Hmph," grumbled Roxas. "Wait, 'Queen'? 'He'?"

"Yes, why?"

"Uh, never mind." said Roxas, reminding himself not to question the logic in the place he was currently in. "So, yeah. I gotta go find Luxord."

"Luxord? That stupid rabbit? Why?" asked Vexen.

Roxas eyes widened at the question, as if he was hit in the head. To tell the truth, he really didn't know why he was following him. Following him just led him into trouble, like Marluxia. "I, I don't know. I just- I have this feeling. Something tells me I just gotta follow him…"

Vexen took the hookah out of his mouth, yawned once or twice, and shook himself. "Something, huh. . ." Then he got down off the mushroom and walked away into the grass, merely remarking, as he went, "One side will make you grow taller, and the other will make you grow shorter."

"One side of _what_?" Roxas shouted after him.

He sighed, took another puff from his hookah, then shouted,

"THE MUSHROOM, IDIOT!"

Roxas huffed, "WELL YOU'RE A FUCKING CATERPILLAR!"

As he proceeded to break of a piece from each side of the mushroom (it was hard to find the opposite sides, as the mushroom was perfectly round), Vexen stopped crawling and looked back and said, "Keep your temper. You just might live if he finds you."

"Sure, sure, old man," said Roxas, putting the pieces of mushroom in two of his pockets. "Wait, who?" he asked, but Vexen had already disappeared.

Roxas sighed and continued on.

* * *

"That brat!" exclaimed Marluxia. "Mutilating my poor babies…" he said, patting a wilting, thorny vine (one of many). "That Alice must die."

He took a bottle of green liquid and hopped down from the rose he was sitting on.

"Oi! You there! Get down here!" he shouted at a rose bud. It bent its head down to Marluxia. He then uncorked the bottle and poured it on the bud. It then opened its petals, and showered orbs of light on Marluxia.

He began to glow, then started increasing in size. Once he was the size of a normal human, he plucked a wilting dandelion. He blew on its petals, and they traveled into the horizon, riding the wind.

'_A new Alice has come.'_

_

* * *

_Roxas continued walking into the woods. It was no use, as it seemed that he was getting nowhere.

His eye twitched, then he snapped.

"FUCK IT! HOW DO I GET OUT OF HERE!"

He thought about forgetting the rabbit and just leaving, but he shook his head.

'_No, I don't even know how to get out of here. Following him is the only chance I have…"_

He continued walking. Until, that is, he came across a fork in the path.

_Hmm. . . Which way, which way . . .?_

"A little lost are you, Alice?"

He looked around, and saw on top a tree…

_Huh? That smile. . ._

_

* * *

_Cirque: Cliffy! :D –shot- Don't worry, I'll post the next chapter next week. Cheshire Cat's there! :D And the Mad Hatter, and the March Hare!

Lune: You better…

Cirque: By the way, I love, love, LOVE Vanitas! I love fighting him, it's so much fun! And his theme is epic. XD

Lune:Yes, Cirque has Birth by Sleep. -_- Yes, in Japanese.

Cirque: WHAT HAPPENED TO MAH PAGEBREAKS? D:

(1) Yes, you read that right. :P


	4. Mad Tea Party

Cirque: I told you I would! :D

Lune: You did . . . for once.

Cirque: There SHALL be Akuroku…eventually. XD And I made a HUGE mistake in the last chapter…no one has noticed it so far, but if you do, just imagine it happened somewhere between the dimensions of pagebreaks. :P

Dedicated to terra hotaru and XIIIAnonymous. Yes, it's for you too! :D

AKUROKUBUTTSMEX. Now that I have your attention, I have announcement to make. I appreciate the hits and alerts, but reviews even are better. And since I don't get much, I'll make a deal with you guys. The 20th reviewer gets to have a oneshot dedicated to them. If you're the 20th reviewer, just request a pairing (yaoi, please), and what kind of fic you want it to be (Humor, romance, angst, friendship, even CRACK. =P). PRETTY GOOD DEAL IF I DO SAY SO MYSELF. XD

Disclaimer: Nope, actually, I don't even own some of the locations here… (LGW! :D) But I do own the Garden of Death! :3

* * *

Chapter 3: Mad Tea Party

_Huh? That smile. . ._

"You! You were the one that helped me!" he said, pointing at the disembodied smile. "And my name's not Alice, it's Roxas!"

"Mhmm…" a body then appeared. No head still, but the smile was still there. From what he could see, he could tell that it was male… and, was that…?

"Is that a tail!" asked Roxas.

"Why yes, all cats have tails, Roxas-whose-name-is-not-Alice." It only grinned wider. Then, his whole face appeared.

Roxas wouldn't deny it. The cat-person was indeed good-looking, but what really caught his attention is his hair! It was spiky and red, like a burning flame. A pair of teardrop-looking tattoos was beneath his eyes, and cat ears were on top of his head as well. Frankly, he looked very human, save for the ears and the tail, which were in shades of purple in pink. One would say that it would clash with the red, but he surprisingly made it work.

"That's a very pretty dress." He said, looking at it.

"I'm not sure if I should say 'thank you' or 'fuck you'." Roxas retorted.

"I don't mind either one," he whispered.

"What!" asked Roxas.

"Nothing Roxas~"

"Hmph."

"I'm the Cheshire Cat, call me Axel." he said.

"Um, thanks for helping me back there, Axel." said Roxas. "Without your help…I don't know what might've happened."

"You could've died, that's for sure!" Axel said cheerfully.

"I know that," said Roxas, sounding annoyed.

"Then why did you say you didn't?" he asked.

"It's an expression."

"You should say what you mean and mean what you say!" he smiled.

"Whatever." Roxas said, not caring. "Anyway, would you tell me, please, which way I should go from here?" he asked, looking at the various arrows and signs that pointed, well, _everywhere_.

"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said Axel.

"I don't really care where –" said Roxas.

"Then it doesn't matter which way you go," he said.

"–as long as I get _somewhere_," finished Roxas.

"Oh, you're sure to do that," he said happily, sitting on the branch, swinging his legs, "if you only walk long enough."

"Ugh, this is getting nowhere!" said Roxas, throwing up his arms in annoyance. "Alright, just tell me where these paths lead to." He said, pointing at them.

"Okay then!" he said, still grinning. "In _that_ direction," said Axel, waving his right hand round, "lives The Hatter."

"And over there?" asked Roxas.

"Over _there_," he said, waving the other hand, "lives the March Hare. Visit either you like: they're both mad."

"But I don't want to go among mad people!" remarked Roxas.

"Oh, you can't help that," said Axel. "We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."

"How do you know I'm mad?" said Roxas.

"Well, you must be!" said Axel, grinning wider (if that was possible…). "Or you wouldn't have come here."

"It was an accident! There was this hole in our backyard and everything… Augh! Never mind!"

"You better choose quickly, because I have a feeling we'll get company soon."

"Company?"

* * *

"Your Majesty, there is a message for you from his Lordship, Marluxia." said Xaldin, bowing deeply, holding out a golden bowl of flower petals.

"That nymph? What does he want?" the Queen asked, sitting cross-legged on his throne, resting his chin on his hand.

"I feel that it is better if you see for yourself, sir."

"Hmph. Bring that over here," motioning the servant to come closer.

He came closer to the throne and bent down on one knee, holding the bowl up.

"Wilting dandelions? That only means…"

His eyes then widened, then were filled with anger.

_Alice! It's a male this time, too…_

He stood from his throne in rage, slamming his palms on the chair's arms.

"KNAVE! COME HERE THIS INSTANT!"

The humongous doors leading to the Throne Room opened, revealing a boy with silver hair with a blindfold, dressed in black armor.

"You called for me, Your Majesty?" he said, bowing deeply.

"I have received news from Marluxia that a new Alice has arrived in Wonderland. Gather your men if you need to and eliminate this Alice at once! Search all of Wonderland if you must, BUT I WANT THAT ALICE'S HEAD ON A PLATTER!"

"I understand, my Queen."

He bowed once more, then left.

"Ugh, this news has made my head hurt…" he sat back down on his throne, rubbing his temples. "Bring me Saïx!" he called out.

Five men entered, each holding a chain that was attached to a man's limbs, one on his neck, one each on his wrists, and one each on his ankles. However, this man had pointed ears, much like an elf's, and a dog's tail. He also had four parallel scars stretching across the side of his torso. The men were trying to hold him back, as he was struggling to get to the Queen.

"Xem-Xemnas! Xemnas! Xemnas!" he was panting, while struggling to get close to the throne. The men, however, were pulling back on the chains.

"Let him go," the Queen said, waving his hand.

The men let go of the chains, and instantly, Saïx made a beeline for the Queen, leapt into his arms and sat on his lap, nuzzling his cheek.

"Xemnas…" he mumbled.

"That's a good boy," he said, patting Saïx's head. "LEAVE US!" he shouted at his subjects, and they all exited through the huge doorways.

* * *

"What company?" asked Roxas.

"Well, Roxy, ("My names' Roxas!" he interjected.) as of now, I feel that almost all of Wonderland is out to get you!" said Axel (who was still grinning cheerfully…).

Roxas's eyes widened in shock.

"Me! Why me?"

"Because you're the new Alice!" he said with a smile.

"Ugh…is there _anything _normal about this place?" he sighed.

"Unfortunately for you, Roxas," he said with his Cheshire grin, "this place can be anything _but_ normal."

"I kinda got the hint when I got here."

"Now, hurry hurry! Choose! Both are in the house of either most of the time anyway."

"Um, what?"

"Hmm…I think they're hanging out at Zex's place…it _is _Friday after all…"

"Isn't it Saturday?"

"Nope!" he said grinning. "I suggest you take the path on your left, which is to my right. That path will lead to The Hatter's house."

Roxas then noticed that Axel's ears started to twitch.

* * *

The Knave went to the highest point of the castle, a tower that only had one entryway, one window, a lone chair with intricate designs in the middle of the small room, and a balcony.

He closed his eyes (though you couldn't really see it, as he was blindfolded.), and stretched out his arms. He rounded his palms, and a dark orb was forming between them. It leapt from his hands, then whizzed past the castle, and rounded all of Wonderland. It went around the Valley of Mushrooms, past the Volcanic Plains where the Jabberwocky roam, and through the Chessboard Desert made of lava and ice. Finding no Alice, it rounded to the Garden of Death where Marluxia dwells, and into Tulgey Wood.

'_Alice.'_

_

* * *

__WHOOSH!_

"Ah!" Roxas covered his eyes, because of the strong wind. He caught sight of a dark orb, circled him a few times, then it whizzed around, back into the direction from where it came.

"What the heck was that?" he asked Axel.

"Riku…" he mumbled.

"Riku?"

"The Knave…The Knave of Hearts."

His Cheshire grin vanished, then came back in a split second, but Axel had a dark look in his eyes. His nails became longer and sharper.

'_Claws!' _Roxas said to himself.

"He's coming." said Axel.

* * *

Back at the tower, the orb returned to its master.

'_Tulgey Wood.'_

He stretched his palm into the empty room of the tower, and a dark portal appeared. He readied his wing-shaped, dark-blue and red blade, then stepped inside.

'_Alice…'_

_

* * *

_A dark portal appeared in front of Axel and Roxas. Roxas stepped back, gripping his key, nervous. Axel jumped down from the tree, in front of Roxas in a protective position.

A silver–haired, blindfolded being stepped out of the portal, blade in hand.

"Hello, Riku."

"Axel." the man nodded curtly. "And I see that the Alice is behind you."

_This guy's blindfolded, what the heck? _Roxas thought to himself.

"Where's your army?" asked Axel with a sneer.

"Thought I'd go alone first, just to take a look." Riku answered.

"'Take a look' my ass. You want his head, don't you?"

"How'd you know?"

"My head?" Roxas asked, horrified. He gulped. He was very happy having his head on, thank you very much.

"Roxas!" Axel turned to look at him. "Run to Hatter's place! You'll be safe there!"

"I see, so his name's Roxas, huh?"

Roxas didn't need to be told twice. He took off at top speed to the path on his left, not bothering to look back.

Riku started run after Roxas, but Axel blocked his way.

"I'm your opponent, Knave."

"You know I don't want to fight you, Cat." Riku said, putting his blade down.

"You work for that bastard Queen. I have no trouble ripping you to shreds." Axel said, still not retracting his claws.

"After you vowed to protect me, three years ago?" asked Riku.

"I vowed to protect _Alice_."

Riku just sighed.

"Ah well, my journey is pointless without that Alice. I'm not stupid, I know I can't enter either of _their _houses." Riku turned around, then opened a dark portal. "We'll have this battle some other time," he said, then entered the portal.

Axel relaxed, then retracted his claws. He then turned and went after Roxas.

* * *

Roxas was almost out of breath, but still ran. He could see the weird-looking house in the distance. He then slowed to a walk as he approached gate.

His eyes widened as he saw teacup headed right for him. He ducked just in time, though, and the teacup smashed into the wall behind him. Teacups and teapots of various colors were flying and swirling around. Pastries and desserts were doing the same as well.

But on the table in the middle, he could see two men (one with rabbit ears, with blond hair, and one wearing a top hat, with bluish-silverish-purplish hair.) _making out_ in front of him. His jaw dropped.

This went on for about a few more seconds, before the man with the top hat's eyes widened when he noticed Roxas staring at them, standing at the gate with his mouth open, and pushed the man with rabbit ears off of him.

"Aww, and it was already getting fun, Zexy." the man with rabbit ears pouted.

'Zexy' fixed his top hat and tie, then cleared his throat.

"Can't you see we have _company_, Demyx?" he said, gesturing at Roxas.

"Oh! Hello, I'm the March Hare. My name's Demyx!" the man with rabbit ears said, waving cheerfully at him.

Roxas then shook his head, as he was still in shock.

"Uh…um, hi." He said awkwardly. "I'm Roxas."

"I'm the 'Mad' Hatter. Call me Zexion, if you please." The man wearing a top hat said.

"Um, nice to meet you, Zexion."

"You must be the Alice," Zexion said, glancing at his key.

"Oh, uh, I guess," said Roxas.

"Come closer! Don't be shy!" Demyx said with a smile.

Roxas stepped closer to the table.

"Oh, what a shiny keyblade!" said Demyx, pointing the key that Roxas was holding.

"Key…blade?" asked Roxas, holding up the key.

"Come, take a seat." Zexion said, gesturing at the table, swatting at a piece of toast flying near his shoulder.

The three each took a seat on the long table, each taking a teacup for themselves.

As Zexion was about to grab a teapot, the gate then burst open revealing Axel, panting.

Zexion grabbed a teacup in midair, then tossed it at the Cat.

Axel dodged it, then laughed. "I'm late for tea, I presume?"

"Almost!" said Demyx.

Axel stepped inside, then took a seat for himself beside Roxas.

"What happened, Axel? You're usually here early that you can still catch the make-out session!" Demyx said, jokingly.

"Had a run-in with the Knave." Axel said, taking a cupcake floating near his head then taking a bite.

"Riku?" asked Zexion, pouring a cup of tea for Roxas and himself. "The poor kid…"

"Who's this Riku guy anyway?" asked Roxas, taking a bite from a pastry.

"He's a Fallen Alice," said Zexion, taking a sip from his tea.

"Fallen Alice?" asked Roxas.

"Yep!" said Demyx, pouring a cup of tea for himself as well. "You weren't the first Alice that got here."

"Fallen Alices are those who have tried to defeat the Queen and failed to do so. Those who Fall work for him."

"Fallen Alice…what's an Alice anyway?" Roxas asked Zexion.

"An Alice is someone who falls into Wonderland, destined to fight the Queen of Hearts, Xemnas."

"Me! Fight!" asked Roxas, standing up from his chair, shocked. "But…I don't know how!"

"You have no choice. You can't get home if you don't" said Zexion.

"Don't worry!" said Demyx. "We'll help you!" he said, smiling.

Roxas sat down, defeated. Then, he coughed, breaking the silence.

"Um…Xemnas? Isn't that…you know, a guy's name?" Roxas asked, confused.

"That's because he _is _a guy," said Axel, taking another bite from his cupcake.

"Then why is he called 'Queen'?" Roxas asked, now _really _confused.

"The never were any kings in Wonderland." Zexion said. "Only Queens hold power. Kings were powerless, politically and magically speaking. They're only they're because they're married to an heir. Heirs to the throne, no matter the gender, usually choose not to marry and become Queen."

"I see…" said Roxas, taking a sip from his tea. "Why do I have to fight this Xemnas guy, anyway?"

"'Cause he's a total jerk!" exclaimed Demyx.

"He has beheaded many innocent people, for entertainment." Zexion said. "He's also very unjust and cruel, not bothering with trials ands hearings… just goes and beheads the convicted."

"And what's this thing? It's a key…but it's also a sword of some sort," said Roxas, holding up the object.

"That's what you call 'Keyblade'," said Axel, munching on a cookie. "All Alices are bestowed with one."

"But what's strange is," said Zexion, "is that yours isn't at full power yet…"

"Usually once you arrive at Wonderland it already is at its most powerful." said Demyx.

Then came a few seconds of silence. Only the sounds of munching and sipping were to be heard.

"Look's like you had a run-in with Marluxia…" said Zexion, noticing his tattered dress, along with the cuts that he recognized were from the vines. "We'll get you some new clothes later."

"Um…"

"Don't worry, it won't be a dress" said Demyx, winking.

"That place with Marluxia…I could hear the flowers speaking…what's with that?" he asked.

"That's the 'Garden of Death'!" said Demyx. "Marluxia's in charge of that place."

"They speak to the Alices, begging for the fall of the Queen."

"'Garden of Death'?" asked Roxas. "Why 'Death'?"

"All restless souls that the Queen has executed become flowers, and are guarded by Marluxia so that they cannot escape and help Alice." said Zexion, taking a piece of toast.

"Xemnas has ruled for 107 years… it's time that he stepped down from his throne."

"One hundred seven years!" exclaimed Roxas, then he coughed. "Shouldn't he be…you know, _dead_, by now?" he whispered.

"Oh, nah," said Axel. "That's about seventeen years in your place."

"Then…uh…how old are you guys?"

"I'm 183. Young and strong, baby!" said Axel. (he stood on the table and did a pelvic thrust…)

"179!" exclaimed Demyx.

"185," said Zexion.

"And…how old are you back at 'my place'?" asked Roxas.

"Well, Axel is, I believe, 18 years old, and 3 months. Demyx is 17 years and 11 months, and I am 18 years old and 5 months…" said Zexion, counting his fingers.

"I see…" said Roxas.

"We've been part of the Resistance since we we're young. Around 7, or 8 years old at your place," said Zexion.

"Uh…"

"Humans age faster than us," said Demyx. "So don't worry, we could already fight back then."

"Okay then," replied Roxas.

"Well then," said Zexion, standing up from his seat and putting down his cup. "Tea time's over."

Axel and Demyx also did the same.

In Zexion's hands, dark swirls of purple and black appeared, then a huge book materialized.

Demyx put one of his hands up, holding a blue charm of some sort, and a stringed instrument of some sort appeared.

Axel stretched out both his arms sideways. Flames were on his hands, then two spiked wheels replaced them.

"Stand up, Roxas. Ready your weapon too," said Zexion with a grin.

_Wait… what!_

_

* * *

_Cirque: And yet, another cliffy! :D

Lune: Now they're really out to get you…

Cirque: Pfft…I'm the writer. I can do what I want.

Lune: If that's what you say…


	5. A Sweet Dream

Cirque: TERRAHOTARU GETS A ONESHOT. IN YOUR FACES, BITCHES. :| The 20th reviewer STILL GETS ONE, though. :P I'm just kidding, you're not bitches. XD

Lune: Well, that was rude.

Cirque: I'm on a roll! –does pelvic thrust– XDD By the way, I'm sorry if nothing much happens in this chapter. D:

Lune: Yeah right. -coughSORAcough-. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I'll let Nomura keep them…for now.

* * *

Chapter 4: Mad Tea Party: A Sweet Dream

"Stand up, Roxas. Ready your weapon too," said Zexion with a grin.

_Wait… what!_

"What does this mean, guys?" said Roxas, gripping his Keyblade in a defensive stance.

"Relax, kiddo." said Axel. "This is your training."

Roxas gave a sigh of relief.

"I thought you really were gonna kill me there for a sec…" he said with a chuckle.

"Gah!"

Someone grabbed him from behind. Then realizing it was Axel giving him a hug, he blushed.

"Uh…um…Axel…." mumbled Roxas, not knowing exactly what to say.

"You look so cute Roxy!"

Zexion gave a cough.

"Right, right…" Axel said, stepping back. "Sorry 'bout that."

"I don't think he's ready to take on all three of us yet, Zexy." Demyx said, putting down his weapon (which turned out to be a 'sitar').

"Yes, yes. I suppose you're right," said Zexion. "We really need intel from Luxord…" he said, grumbling.

"Luxord?" said Roxas. "Is that the rabbit I saw?"

"Yes. He is the one that leads the Alices to Wonderland. ("He's part of the Resistance," said Demyx.) He's also our spy, since he works for the Queen." replied Zexion.

"Hey, what about your illusions, Zex?" said Axel, twirling a chakram on his index finger.

"Yeah! That's a great idea!" said Demyx.

"Um, uh…" said Roxas, not knowing what to say.

"Don't worry, my illusions can't damage you unless I make it so," said Zexion, flipping through the pages of his book.

"Oh, okay then," said Roxas.

"Hopefully it'll help unleash the true power of your Keyblade," said Axel. "It's pretty useless like that," he said, chuckling.

"It's not _that_ bad Axel," said Demyx, pouting. "He could still kill the guards with that!"

"Kill…" mumbled Roxas.

* * *

Riku returned to the castle through a dark portal. He walked in front of the throne, then knelt down on one knee before the Queen.

"I see no head in your possession, Knave." Xemnas said, patting Saïx's head who kneeling beside his throne, while he rested his chin on his other hand.

"I apologize, Your Majesty, but that _Cat_." He spat, as if he was uttering something disgusting. "He told him the way to the Hatter and the Hare."

"Tch. What a pest," the Queen said, patting Saïx's head, who was kneeling beside his throne.

"I did, however, learn the Alice's name." said the Knave.

The Queen's eyes lit up gleeful malice.

"And it is…?"

"His name is 'Roxas', my Queen," replied Riku.

"Roxas, huh…" said Xemnas, testing the name out on his lips. "This is all I need to take advantage of him" he said with a smirk.

"Should I…leave you to it then, Your Majesty?" asked Riku.

"No, you will be accompanying me to the tower. I have orders to give."

"Of course, my Queen," replied the Knave with a bow.

He stood from his throne, and headed for the highest tower's balcony. Saïx whimpered as the hand that patted him disappeared.

"Don't worry," said Xemnas in sweet voice, facing Saïx. "I won't be long."

"Follow me, Knave," he said, summoning Riku. Riku stood up, and headed for the tower as well, following the Queen.

Once they reached the top of the tower, Xemnas took his seat on the only chair in the room, and closed his eyes.

'_Roxas'_

Images flashed through the Queen's mind. Some phrases here and there as well, but one thing stuck out the most, and he knew that it was what he needed.

'_Sora'_

He opened his eyes and stood from his seat. He then went to the balcony and stretched out his right arm. An orb of darkness shot out from his palm, into the sky.

"I have learned that this Alice has a brother. Fetch him in the Pool of Tears."

He then turned to face Riku.

"Don't alarm him, so you may remove your armor. Act as his friend and gain his trust, we don't want him running to his brother. Keep him in your quarters here in the castle," said Xemnas. "and make sure he feels…_welcome_, here in Wonderland." He said with a smirk. "I will reside at Bloodoath castle until you are sure that he fully trusts you."

"Understood, my Queen."

"Go," he said. "It won't take long, a few minutes at the most," said the Queen.

Riku gave a bow, opened a portal, then left.

* * *

"Roxas! Hey, Roxas!" Sora called out, books in hand. Roxas was nowhere to be found.

'_I wonder where that blockhead went. He should be studying for the test, for Gaia's sake!'_

He gave an annoyed huff, then crossed his arms. _'You are sooo gonna get it when I find you!'_

Then his eyes widened when he felt as if something cold trickled down his back. He couldn't move. It was as if he was frozen. Then he was shrouded by darkness. His eyes widened when he realized…

'_Water! I'm in water! But how…?'_

He accidentally opened his mouth and swallowed some water. He desperately tried to swim upwards. Then, he felt that he was rising…rising…rising. He finally reached the surface.

As soon as he did so, he coughed. He opened his mouth to take a deep breath.

"Oxygen! Sweet, sweet oxygen!" he shouted out of joy. Then, he noticed his surroundings.

He was definitely not in the backyard anymore.

'_Where the heck am I?'_

He was in a large lake, and in the horizon, he could see a majestic castle.

"Whoa." He said breathlessly, looking at it.

"Hello there."

Sora turned around in alarm. He could see a boy, probably only a few years older than him, with silver hair, dressed in casual black and white clothes. He seemed to be waiting for him, as he had a towel in his hand.

"Um, hi…" Sora said awkwardly.

"Do you need me to fetch you, all the way over there?" the boy said jokingly.

"Oh! Uh, no need," replied Sora, blushing as he started to swim for the shore.

The boy handed him the towel with a kind smile. That's when Sora was able to see him clearly. Apart from the strange blindfold he was wearing…

'_This guy's kinda…cute.'_

Sora blushed and shook his head.

'_Stop thinking gay thoughts, Sora!'_

"Is something the matter?" asked the boy, seeing Sora shake his head.

"Oh, uh, nothing…uh…" Sora blushed, realizing that he didn't know the boy's name.

"Riku, call me Riku." He said, smiling.

"Uh, thanks for the towel, Riku," said Sora, flashing a bright smile at him.

Sora wiped his wet hair, and draped the towel over his shoulders.

"Um, excuse me Riku, but where am I?" Sora asked shyly.

Riku turned to face him, and said with a smile, "Don't worry Sora, this all just dream."

_A dream…_

Riku headed towards the castle gesturing at Sora for him to follow.

"Wait!" exclaimed Sora, running after Riku. "How do you know my name?" he asked.

"It's _your _dream Sora," said Riku, smiling sweetly. "Whatever you want, you'll get. This is sorta like… _your Wonderland._"

"My…Wonderland?" asked Sora, wrapping the towel more tightly around his shoulders.

"Mhmm..." said Riku, taking Sora's hand. "Would you like to go to that castle?" he asked, pointing at majestic, red and white castle in the distance.

"Yeah!" exclaimed Sora, smiling brightly. _'Might as well enjoy myself…'_

"We'll get you some dry clothes there, so don't worry." He smiled.

* * *

Moments passed as Riku and Sora, hand-in-hand, headed towards the castle.

"Hey Riku," said Sora, breaking the silence "How do you see with that blindfold on?"

Riku turned to face Sora.

Sora's face flushed. "Uh, I don't mean to be rude! I was just curious…"

Riku laughed. "It's…magic," he said with a mysterious looking smile.

Sora let go of Riku's hand, crossing his arms. "You expect me to believe that?" he said, laughing. "I'm not a kid Riku!" he said, sticking his tongue out.

"Well, you sure act like one!" said Riku, laughing along.

"I'll race you to the castle!" exclaimed Sora, pointing at the few feet left of the red and white tiled path leading to the front gates of the castle.

"You're on!" replied Riku.

"On three!" shouted Sora. "One…two…three!"

* * *

Roxas still somehow couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that he had to _kill_.

"Sorry Roxas, it's the only way you can leave," said Zexion.

Axel's eyes widened, then he frowned, when he heard the word 'leave', and Zexion's eyes flickered toward him with some sort of…stern expression?

Axel cleared his throat, Cheshire grin back in its place. "Well, you must be tired, Rox. Let's leave the training for later."

"But Axel– !" interjected Demyx

"He just had a fight with Marluxia! Just get him some new clothes at least," said Axel.

Zexion sighed and closed his book. ("It's called a 'Lexicon'," he said.)

"Fine. I will let you do as you wish. We will resume training tomorrow," said Zexion, retreating to his house.

"Wait for me, Zexy!" exclaimed Demyx, putting away his sitar, running after him.

Axel furrowed his eyebrows, then turned to face Roxas, grinning widely.

"Well then, shall we?" he said, gesturing to a white doorway behind Hatter's house.

"Um, sure…I guess…" said Roxas, taking Axel's hand.

"You won't be disappointed," he smiled.

* * *

"I –_hah_– won!" panted Sora.

"I –_hah_– guess you –_hah_– you did…" laughed Riku. "Come on," he said. "Let's go in!" taking Sora's hand.

They ran across the magnificent red and black tiled courtyard, towards the red, heart shaped double doors.

Sora was in awe when they entered the front hall. The floors were tiled with red, black and white, the walls a wonderful shade of red and white stone. A fish footman bowing in front of them as he held the double doors open.

Maids wore dresses of red and white, lined up in the hall bowing deeply, and guards, uniforms of black and red standing tall with spears and axes.

"Welcome, master," they all said in chorus.

"Uh, um…thanks!" smiled Sora, scratching the back of his head.

"Don't be shy!" whispered Riku, then led him into the Dining Hall. A long, ebony table was in the middle of the room, with a large throne-like seat at the end of it. On the table was an array of sweets, cakes, biscuits and tea on shining silver platters and teacups.

Sora's jaw dropped open in awe.

"This is all _yours_, Sora," smiled Riku.

"_Mine_?"

"Yes, Sora. Yours."

* * *

'_Enjoy yourself while you can, brat.'_

"Come, Saïx," said Xemnas. "We will reside in Bloodoath Castle for a while," he said, looking down from the balcony to the Dining Hall down below with a sneer.

Saïx whimpered.

"Hush, puppy," he cooed. "You will have your time, soon enough."

"Bloo-od…" Saïx growled, smiling, baring his fangs.

"Soon, puppy. Soon," said Xemnas, petting Saïx's head. "Come, we must depart."

* * *

"We'll have dinner later, don't worry," said Riku, laughing a Sora's expression. "Wouldn't you like to see your room?"

"Of course!" Sora exclaimed happily.

"Well, it's technically _our_ room…" said Riku, rubbing the nape of his neck.

Sora blushed. "Uh, I don't mind, Riku!"

"That's good then!" smiled Riku. "Come on. It's upstairs," he said, leading Sora to the left staircase.

Suddenly, the doors flew open, revealing a man, panting from exhaustion. (_'Rabbit ears?' _wondered Sora)

"I-I'm sorry, Your Majesty! My tardiness is inexcusable! I–" then his eyes widened, spotting Sora and the Knave.

The Knave's expression hardened at the sight of the rabbit. He then softened it, and smiled as he talked to Sora. "Sora, that man over there is Luxord. You may call him if you need anything."

"Nice to meet you, Luxord!" Sora said cheerfully, waving at him. "But you don't need to call me 'Your Majesty'!" he said, laughing.

"Uh, but–" said Luxord, not knowing what to say, but stiffened as he saw the Knave glaring at him from behind Sora. "O-of course, sir."

"Well then, we must be leaving now, Sora," smiled Riku, gesturing at the hall to the left of the staircase.

"Oh, okay Riku," he replied. Sora then turned and gave one last cheerful wave, and left with Riku.

* * *

"Where are we going, Axel?"

"You're gonna get new clothes, aren't you?"

"But, how are we gonna get clothes in the middle of a forest?"

"You do notice that everything is white, yes? The trees, flowers, everything?" asked Axel

"Uh, yeah…."

"That means that this isn't a normal part forest, right?"

"I guess…but come on, nothing is normal here!" exclaimed Roxas "Besides, what does that have to do with clothes?"

"Oh! Well, the Duchess is a really good artist, and she can make you some clothes!" Axel grinned.

"The Duchess? What the heck is a duchess doing the middle of a forest?" asked Roxas disbelievingly.

"Roxas, need I remind you that–"

"Yeah, yeah, 'nothing is normal'. I get it," interjected Roxas.

"Good," smiled Axel. "Always remember that."

Then all of a sudden, bright white flashed in front of his eyes and he was blinded for a split second. When his vision returned, he was no longer in a forest, but rather a great white room with nothing in it except for white, flower bud shaped pod, a white chair, and a girl with blonde hair with a sketch book and pencil in hand.

"Your Highness," said Axel, bowing deeply.

"Do rise, Axel," she said, looking up from her sketch. "And I do assume that this young man is Alice?" she said, rising from her seat and putting down her sketchbook and pencil on the chair.

"Yep!" he replied enthusiastically.

"Oh, where are my manners?" she grinned, then took Roxas' hand and shook it. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Wonderlanders call me 'The Duchess' or 'Your Highness', but you may call me Namine," she laughed.

"Nice to meet you, uh, Namine!" said Roxas.

"Great! Now let's get to work!" Namine said happily, clapping her hands together.

* * *

"Wow! Nice place you've got, Riku!" exclaimed Sora, happily examining his new room. Well, _their_ room.

"Now, it's yours too," said Riku, smiling.

Sora ran to the balcony, gazing at the mazes down below.

"Whoa…" Sora said, looking amazed. "Hey Riku! What're those?" he asked, gesturing at the mazes.

"That's the Maze of Roses," replied Riku, joining Sora by his side. "I advice you don't go in there without me though. You'd probably just get lost!" he chuckled.

"Hmph," said Sora, pouting. "Hey, how about you take me there this afternoon?"

"Anything you wish," said Riku. "Perhaps you'd like to have tea there as well?" he asked.

"Sure, that sounds great!" Sora smiled, leaning over the edge of the balcony.

"Okay then, I'll inform the servants and they'll have tea ready for us in a while. Just wait here, okay?" said Riku, smiling at him.

"Mmm…" replied Sora, still looking over the balcony.

Riku just smiled and left.

* * *

Cirque: Eh…uh…sorry for the late update and its shortness. Just been kinda busy lately. AND SORA BLUSHES A LOT. –ish annoyed- And what exactly does _'make him feel welcome'_ mean? XD YOU DECIDE! Send us a review. :D

Lune: Meh. At least they get something.

Cirque: Let's aim for at least 8 reviews? Yes? Great! Don't forget, the 20th reviewer will get a oneshot~ Don't worry, I'll inform you if you are, indeed, the 20th. And terra, I'm sorry about the oneshot I promised you. I'll get it done eventually! :)


	6. A Nightmare

Cirque: HAPPY AKUROKU DAY EVEREHBODEH! –does happy dance– I didn't miss it this year! :D

Lune: Come on, 20th reviewer, we're waiting for your reply. :P Oh, and happy Organization XIII day as well.

Cirque: The rating shall become an 'M' in later chapters, so you'll know where to look. And regarding Roxas' new clothes, imagine something like Ciel Phantomhive. :) And by the way, if she doesn't reply, we're giving the oneshot away to a lucky reviewer. The reviewer will be chosen at random. :P

Disclaimer: Someday, I'll type something witty here. And I don't own Luxord's line either.

* * *

Chapter 5: A Nightmare

"I must tell Hatter…I must tell the Hare…They must know…The Cat must know…" he panted, running as fast as he could. Tulgey Wood now seemed more unwelcoming than ever.

He stopped running, and hid behind a tree. He stopped to fix himself, or else the nymph will be suspicious. As soon as he was looking calm and composed, he stepped out from behind the tree and entered the garden.

"Greetings, My Lord," he said, bowing deeply.

"Hello yourself, Luxord," replied the nymph, twirling a Rose between his fingers as he sat on a throne of vines high up on a rose.

_Good, he must be in a pleasant mood today._

"I require passage through your lovely garden today. I would like to return to my house for a few days," said Luxord.

"I suppose…I do require payment, though," Marluxia replied.

Luxord produced a corked bottle from his coat. Inside it was a seed, wisps of silver emanating from it. "I have brought a fresh soul, just beheaded this morning at Bloodoath Castle. It was from a nobleman who was believed to be supplying weapons to the Resistance."

"Hmm, very nice. Good work, Rabbit," said Marluxia. A thorny vine then wrapped itself around the bottle and brought it up to the nymph. "You may pass."

Luxord was about to head out when a vine wrapped itself around his wrist. Luxord tensed, and turned to face Marluxia.

"I-is there anything else you need, My Lord?" asked Luxord, fearful that he has been found out.

"Remember to bring me back some Tarty Tarts next time you pass by, okay?" he said with a smile.

"O-of course, sir," replied Luxord. He bowed one last time and headed out through the path that Marluxia cleared for him.

Luxord let out a relieved sigh as soon as he got out of the garden. He never really liked it there, it always reeked of Death.

He resumed running as fast as he could. He could already see the fork in the path.

_Hmm, Friday…Hatter._

He took the path to his left, running with the last of his breath. He ran straight to the wrought iron gate, Hatter's mansion in sight.

"Hatter! Hatter!" he shouted, hoping that the Hatter could hear him, or perhaps the March Hare.

A water clone appeared on the other side of the gate. It opened it, bowed, then disappeared. He ran to the front door and opened it (Quite loudly, in fact.), only to find the Hatter in his lounge drinking tea while reading a book, the Hare leaning against him.

"Don't make such a racket in my house, Luxord. You know I hate loud noises while I'm relaxing," said the Hatter, not looking up from his book.

"I'm very sorry Zexion, but I have very urgent news!" replied Luxord.

"Oh, news?" said Zexion, putting down his book and taking a sip of his tea.

"Yes, Zexion! Very important news!" exclaimed Luxord. "This is most likely not a coincidence, but a boy was in Crimson Grave Castle!"

"And this is urgent, how?" question the Hatter.

"Yeah, people get beheaded there all the time!" said the Hare.

"But this boy, this boy is definitely not ordinary. He came with the Knave, and he even looked quite blissful!" exclaimed Luxord.

"Blissful? In Crimson Grave Castle? You must be joking, right? Only the Queen can be blissful there!" laughed the Hatter.

"No! I am most certainly not!" he insisted. "And what's more…" his voice dropped to a whisper. _"He looks exactly like the Alice."_

"You mean Roxas?" asked Demyx.

"Perhaps there is a chance that he knows this boy…" said Zexion. "Are you sure you were not hallucinating, Luxord?"

"Quite sure," he confirmed.

"That certainly can't be good news…" Zexion frowned.

"Well, there's nothing we can do until Axel and Roxas get back," said Demyx. "They went to see the Duchess."

"Then we will have to wait," said Luxord.

"Would you like some tea while you wait?" Zexion asked Luxord.

"I would love to have some," he replied.

Demyx fetched a fresh cup from the kitchen and handed it to Luxord. Zexion then poured some tea and set a plate of pastries before him. Luxord then produced a bottle from his coat and poured its contents into his cup.

"Are you putting whiskey in your tea again, Rabbit?" asked Zexion, smirking.

"No, darling, it's Rum."

* * *

"There you go!" said Namine, quite pleased with her work.

"Er…"

Roxas wasn't quite used to this type of clothing. It was much like Zexion and Demyx's, very 1800's. He had to admit though, it looked very nice.

"You look great, Roxas," reassured Axel. "Come on, we have to get going."

"Wait," said Namine. "Before you go, may I see your Keyblade?"

"Um, sure," said Roxas, handing it over.

Namine took it delicately in her hands, feeling the blade. She examined the chain, brushing her hand over every link. Her eyebrows scrunched up in concentration, then her eyes widened.

"Thank you," she said, handing it back.

"No problem," he replied.

Axel then opened the door that led back to the forest. (Roxas couldn't even see it.)

"Wait, Axel," said Namine taking his wrist. "I have something important to tell you."

"Axel?"

"Uh, you go ahead Rox," said Axel. Roxas just shrugged his shoulders and waited by the other side of the door.

"What is it, Your Highness?" he asked.

"_That's not his Keyblade," _she whispered.

"What? But, that's not possible! There's only one Alice who hasn't Fallen, and that's him!" he whispered back (Though more loudly than Namine).

"I don't know how, but it's not his Keyblade," said Namine, biting her lip. "But it's fine. He can still kill him if he can learn to use it properly."

"But with his true Keyblade, he wouldn't even need to _learn _to use it!" said Axel.

"It'll have to do," said Namine, frowning.

Axel just sighed. "Zex is definitely not going to like this…"

* * *

"So, Axel," said Roxas. "What'd she tell you?"

"Meh, nothing important, just that you looked like a real girl in that dress!" he laughed.

"Hmph," said Roxas, but then he laughed, giving Axel a playful punch on the shoulder.

"Come on, we're almost there," he said, pointing at Hatter's house in the distance.

"I'll race you to the front door!" exclaimed Roxas, already taking off.

"Hey! No fair!" said Axel, running after him.

* * *

"I _–hah– _won!" said Roxas, trying to catch his breath. He leaned on the front door with a pleased expression.

"Alright –_hah– _you _–hah– _win," said Axel, laughing. "Come on, Zex is probably getting impatient."

* * *

"Dum dee dum dee dum…" hummed Luxord, checking his pocket watch (He looked a bit drunk).

"What is taking them so long?" Zexion mumbled.

Just then, the door opened, revealing Axel and Roxas who were looking quite tired. Roxas then noticed Luxord (whom he had dubbed 'bunny-man'). "Oh! It's you!" he exclaimed.

"'Ello love," he said, waving cheerfully at him.

"Excuse him," said Zexion. "He put Rum in his tea."

"I…see…" said Roxas.

"But now, let's get straight to the point," he said. "Roxas, do you know anyone who looks exactly like you?"

"Well, yeah. I have a twin brother name Sora, but he has brown hair. Why do you ask?"

Zexion's eyes widened, his eyes became filled with rage. "That…that bastard!"

"Hey, Sora's not a bastard!" said Roxas.

Demyx frowned. "No, Roxas. Sora's not who Zexion's talking about."

Axel was just as confused as Roxas was. Roxas had no idea what was going on.

"What's wrong, guys? What's Sora got to do with all this?" he asked, fearing the worst.

"Roxas…" started Demyx. "The Queen…"

"The Queen," said Zexion. "The Queen might have your brother."

"_The Queen might have your brother."_

Roxas' thought process stopped for a moment. His mind went blank. Then, he laughed.

"Ahahaha! You can't be serious, guys!" he said, clutching his stomach. "Nice try, but I won't fall for that."

"We're serious."

Roxas' eye widened, and he fell silent. He couldn't believe it. How could Sora end up in Wonderland? And to think that he was in the Queen's hands…he could only imagine the worst. He fell to his knees, speechless.

"Xemnas must be up to his tricks again," Zexion said angrily.

"O, don't worry, love~" said Luxord, pouring himself another cup of tea. "The Knave's takin' _reeeaaal_ good care o' 'im."

"The _Knave_? Take care of some kid?" Now it was Axel's turn to laugh. "Now _that's_ something I'd like to see!"

* * *

Sora was snapped out of his daze when he felt someone tap on his shoulder. He turned to see the Knave, and he smiled.

"Tea's ready," said Riku, smiling as well. He stretched out his hand, and Sora happily took it.

They went downstairs and exited the castle through a large doorway decorated with vines and Roses. As they reached the entrance to the maze, Sora stopped for a while and crouched down to look at a rose. He took it in his hand and sniffed it. He smiled and turned at Riku.

"Hey Riku, who made, you know, _all this_? It's amazing!"

"Oh, we have a…gardener. His name's Marluxia. It's sort of like a favor he did for you," replied Riku.

"How nice of him," said Sora.

"Come on Sora, the tea will get cold by the time we get there," said Riku, taking Sora's hand once more. "And don't let go of me, or you'll get lost!" said Riku teasingly.

Sora pouted, then laughed. "Alright then, Riku."

Inside of the maze, it was surprisingly bright. The sunlight illuminated the pathways. The hedges were lined with red roses in full bloom. Sora had never seen anything like this in his entire life. Honestly, he was having the best dream ever.

"Come on, we're almost there!" Riku grinned.

Riku turned right one last time, and they came to a large clearing in the middle of the maze. The floor was made of red and white cobblestones, forming the shape of an elaborate heart. In the middle was a pavilion. Inside it was a table and chairs made of glass, and sitting on top was a teapot and teacups made of black silver and decorated with red hearts.

Sora couldn't help but stare.

"You like it?" asked Riku.

"Like it? I love it!" Sora exclaimed. "If only Roxas could see this…" he mumbled. "Is all this really just a dream?" he asked.

Riku was silent for a second, but then smiled a sad smile. "I'm afraid so," he said.

"Then," Sora paused for a while, thinking hard. "I never want to wake up!" he said with an idiotic grin.

Riku turned away for a second and coughed. He then turned to face Sora with a smile. "Come on, then," he said, "The tea's getting cold."

* * *

"This is your room, Rox," said Axel, showing him to a blue door on the second of Hatter's mansion.

Roxas was pleasantly surprised to see that it looked exactly the same as his room back at home.

"Thanks, Axel," said Roxas with a sad smile.

Axel frowned, seeing the look on Roxas' face.

"Don't worry, Rox. We'll get your brother back," he reassured. "But now, you have to get some rest. You'll start training tomorrow."

"'Kay. See you tomorrow, Axel," said Roxas. He yawned then plopped down onto his bed.

"_Good night, Roxas,"_ whispered Axel sadly, before switching off the lights and leaving the room.

* * *

Luxord had already gone home, and Demyx and Zexion were left awake, as Axel had accompanied Roxas to his room.

"This is not good. Not good at all," said Zexion, pacing in his study. "That bastard must be using Roxas' brother to lure him into some sort of trap."

"Come on Zex, we'll figure something out. I just hope Roxas won't go and do something stupid before we think of a way to rescue his brother," said Demyx who was sitting on the couch.

"And Axel," said Zexion. "As Guardian of the Alices, he _must not _get attached to an Alice! It'll only cause trouble if Roxas fails to defeat the Queen."

"But how do you know?" asked Demyx.

"Dem, it's plain to see: Axel likes Roxas. A lot. And I just don't want Axel to get hurt. Roxas can't stay in Wonderland, even if he wins. He'll have to go back to his world, _without_ his memories from here," replied Zexion. "And what's worse, if Roxas fails…"

"…Axel will have to kill him…" Demyx finished.

Both were silent.

"Knock, knock."

Both Zexion and Demyx stood up, alarmed, with weapons materializing in their hands. They then relaxed, seeing Axel in the doorway.

"What is it, Axel?" asked Demyx.

"Well, now that Rox is asleep, I guess that this is the best time to talk about this…" said Axel, sitting down on a chair. "I have bad news," he sighed.

"More bad news?" Demyx sighed, putting away his weapon.

"Yep, unfortunately," said Axel. "Sorry, Zex, but you're definitely not going to like this."

"Thanks for giving me more of a headache, Cat," said Zexion, sitting down.

Axel sighed then leaned in close. "You've seen Roxas' keyblade, right?"

Both Demyx and Zexion nodded.

"Well," said Axel, "It's not his."

"What?" exclaimed Zexion in disbelief.

"Shh! You'll wake up Roxas!" said Axel, putting a finger to his lips. "But unfortunately, according to the Duchess, it's not his."

"But how could that be possible?" asked Demyx worriedly.

"Indeed, Wonderland is unpredictable," said Zexion, rubbing his temples.

"Just chill, Zex. It's still a keyblade. He can learn to use it properly, even if it's not his," said Axel.

"I think that he'll hardly need training if it was his own keyblade. But it does explain why it wasn't at full power," said Zexion.

Axel chuckled. "That's what I said too."

* * *

"Thanks for everything, Riku," said Sora, pulling up the sheets.

"No problem, Sora," replied Riku.

"Aren't you going to sleep yet?" asked Sora, seeing Riku still standing beside the bed in his casual attire.

"Oh, you go ahead, Sora. I still have some business to take care of. You don't have to wait for me," reassured Riku.

"Okay then. Good night, Riku," said Sora, smiling at him before closing his eyes.

Riku smiled back at him and patted his head gently. He leaned in close to Sora ear and whispered _"Good night, Sora."_

Sora smiled contently in his sleep.

Riku dimmed the candle flame, giving the room a warm glow. It was just dark enough for Sora to sleep comfortably. He quietly stepped out of the room.

He swiftly made his way to the Queen's bedroom, looking behind his back to make sure he wasn't being followed. He entered the room and locked the door behind him.

Inside the extravagantly decorated room, he entered a doorway that was camouflaged against the wallpaper. There was nothing inside, exceot for a set of velvet curtains on the wall. He opened them, revealing an elaborately decorated mirror.

His reflection began to blur, and then vanished completely. Instead was the face of the Queen of Hearts, smirking.

"I trust that everything is going smoothly?" asked Xemnas.

"No, Your Highness. He does not suspect a thing," replied Riku.

"Good," he said. "Make sure he trusts you _completely_. Make him forget his world. His brother."

"Understood," said Riku.

"I have matters I must attend to now. See to it that everything is prepared over there. I expect nothing less than what we have discussed," said the Queen.

"Of course, Your Majesty," said Riku and then gave a bow.

The Queen's face began to blur and disappear, Riku's reflection replacing it.

He closed the curtains and left the room, smirking with satisfaction.

* * *

Cirque: Riku's smirk can mean anything. –hinthint–

Lune: Happy AkuRoku day, once again.

Cirque: Should I ask for 8 reviews or 13 reviews? XD How about 21? –shot– By the way, check out my-

Lune: -smack-

Cirque: Fine. _Our _DeviantArt account. Since I used the name of Cirque du Lune (cirquedulune), Lune insisted that she use it as well. She has an individual account, though. It's MemoryintheMoonlight. Just wanted to say. :P Thanks everyone!


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